2025 Annual Conference of the North American Society for Sport History (NASSH)
CALL FOR PAPER AND SESSION PROPOSALS
*Click here for a PDF version of the Call for Papers
The 2025 conference of the North American Society for Sport History (NASSH) will take place at the Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec. The Canadian Museum of History is built on the unceded traditional territory of the Algonquin Anishinabeg. This land has held, and continues to hold, great historical, spiritual and sacred significance. The museum recognizes and honors the enduring presence of the Algonquin people.
The 2025 NASSH annual conference will take place from Monday, May 26 (opening session and welcome reception) to Thursday, May 29, 2025 (the evening of the annual NASSH banquet). All conference sessions will be held at the Canadian Museum of History (www.historymuseum.ca/) in Gatineau, Quebec – across the Ottawa River from Ottawa, Ontario. Participation in NASSH 2025 will be available to both in-person and virtual participants. The intention to make all conference sessions hybrid. Virtual participants will be able to attend all sessions live via the Hopin/Ring Central platform. Registration fees will be tiered according to the nature of participation.
Canadian Museum of History ki ombākonigāde ondaje kidakinang. Oma kan wīkād ki gī pagidendāzinānan kīnawind ki tibenindananan. Iyo akī kitchi inendagwād mane ayanikadjimowin ashidj manidōwiziwin kāgige kamik. Museum ikidowag kikenindamāwādj kāgige kidaniziyeng ondaje kidakīnāng māmawe kodagāg Anishinabeg.
Le Musée canadien de l’histoire a été érigé sur le territoire traditionnel non cédé des Anishinabeg Algonquins. Cette terre a une signification historique, spirituelle et sociale importante depuis des milliers d’années. Le Musée reconnaît et honore la présence durable du peuple algonquin.
Canadian Museum of History in Gatineau, Quebec
Key Dates
Nov. 15, 2024 Call for papers announced; abstract submission open
Dec. 15, 2024
Deadline for submission of proposed session topics
Jan. 31, 2025
Deadline for individual paper and complete session abstracts
Feb. 28, 2025
Deadline for notification of acceptance/rejection of submission
April 1, 2025
Anticipated release of draft program
April 15, 2025
Deadline for payment of membership dues, to be included in 2025 program
May 1, 2025
Deadline for submission of completed papers to discussants
May 1, 2025
Deadline for submission of pre-recorded presentations (virtual participants)
May 12, 2025 Anticipated release of final program
Participation Modes
The Program Committee encourages NASSH members and others interested in the scholarly study of sport history to submit proposals and/or participate in one of the following categories:
* Individual papers, with or without discussant (see below)
Proposals for individual 12-15-minute research presentations (in-person or virtual), to be presented in English, which the Program Committee will group into appropriate sessions. NASSH members submitting abstracts will be asked whether they wish to be scheduled in a session that includes a discussant (this is optional). The program committee will endeavor to accommodate all NASSH members who wish to their papers included in such a session. Requesting a session with a discussant indicates that NASSH members agree to submit their completed full paper to the discussant by the May 1, 2025, deadline.
* Complete themed panels (3 papers + moderator and/or discussant)
NASSH members are encouraged to submit complete three-paper themed sessions. Each of these papers should follow the details of individual papers outlined above. Such sessions are strongly encouraged to include a discussant and can include virtual participants. The Program Committee strongly encourages themed panels that explore diverse topics in sport history and whose composition reflects this diversity.
* Themed sessions
NASSH members both interested in proposing a themed session and in publicizing this session to reach potential presenters are encouraged to share their proposed theme/topic and a 250-300-word abstract with the Program Committee chair, Russell Field (russell.field@umanitoba.ca) by December 15, 2024. These details should be accompanied by the name and email address of the session organizer (to allow NASSH members to contact them directly). Session topics will be publicized through NASSH communication channels. The Program Committee takes no responsibility for ensuring that presenters are assigned to proposed topics. The session organizer is responsible for recruiting session participants and submitting complete session abstracts by the January 31, 2025, deadline. A proposed session will be reviewed by the Program Committee for acceptance/rejection in the same manner as other papers and themed sessions (see above).
* Moderators and Discussants
NASSH members, particularly those who are attending NASSH 2025 but not presenting a paper are encouraged to volunteer to be session moderators and/or discussants. The Program Committee welcomes expressions of interest. Contact russell.field@umanitoba.ca.
* A Note regarding Virtual Participation
NASSH members who choose to participate in the conference virtually will have their presentations integrated within the in-person program. Virtual presentations should be pre-recorded and submitted by May 1, 2025. These will be played live during the relevant session. Virtual participants are expected to attend their session and be part of the live post-panel Q-and-A discussion. Presenters who cannot attend the live Q-and-A will not have their pre-recorded presentations shown live. The Program Committee will endeavor to schedule the presentations of virtual participants at a time that respects the time zones in which they reside, but not all requests can be accommodated.
Attending NASSH
* Registration and accommodation
Details regarding registration and accommodation will be available on the NASSH website early in 2025 (https://conference.nassh.org/). A block of hotel rooms will be reserved for NASSH members at the Four Points by Sheraton Hotel & Conference Centre Gatineau-Ottawa, which is directly across the street from the Canadian Museum of History. Note: registration will open in February 2025.
* First-time attendees
First-time attendees of NASSH 2025 (in-person only) are eligible for a 50% discount on their registration fee regardless of registration category. Use the code FIRSTTIME when registering.
* Graduate students
Graduate students who have an in-person presentation accepted for NASSH 2025 are eligible for a grant from the Roberta Park Graduate Travel Fund. (The value of the award for 2025 is TBD, but students should not rely on this award to cover all travel, registration, and accommodation expenses.) No application is needed; Treasurer Thomas Hunt will distribute checks at the conference. Annual interest from the Park Fund is divided equitably among all graduate students presenting at the conference. Graduate students are encouraged to submit their papers to the competition for the NASSH Graduate Essay Award.
Abstract/Proposal Submission
All abstracts/proposals should be submitted using the Conftool platform. To submit an abstract, you will need to register for an account using your preferred email and contact information.
A guide to using the submission system is available (https://conference.nassh.org/). Additional questions can be referred to conftool@nassh.org.
* Guidelines for Submitting Individual Abstracts (in-person or remote)
Submit abstracts for individual papers to https://www.conftool.org/nassh2025/.Required information includes:
* Selecting whether presentation will be in-person or virtual
* title of presentation
* corresponding author’s name, email address, and affiliation
* if relevant, co-authors’ names, emails addresses, and affiliations
* session topic suggestions/keywords
* abstract (250-300 words)
* Abstracts should include the question(s) addressed in the paper, the evidence used, a statement of the argument and conclusions, and what significance the paper has to our understanding of sport history.
* Guidelines for Submitting Complete Sessions
Submit proposals/abstracts for complete sessions to https://www.conftool.org/nassh2025/.Required information includes:
* title of session
* name of session organizer (including email address and affiliation)
* names of session participants (including email address and affiliation), including an indication of
which participants will present in-person and which will be virtual
* name of discussant, if applicable (including email address and affiliation)
* name of moderator, if applicable (including email address and affiliation)
* session abstract (250-300 words), which describes the theme of the session, how the individual papers
contribute to a consideration of that theme, and an explanation of the theme’s significance to the study
of sport history
* abstracts for each individual paper (250-300 words each)
* Abstracts should include the question(s) addressed in the paper, the evidence used, a statement of the argument and conclusions, and what significance the paper has to our understanding of sport history.
* Decisions on abstract/proposal submission
* Individual authors and session organizers will be notified of the acceptance or rejection of their submission by February 28, 2025.
* The Program Committee will evaluate all submissions according to their individual merit, contribution to the field, and fit within the total program.
* Proposals missing requested information will be returned to the author(s).
Fine print
Submission of an abstract/proposal for the NASSH 2025 program indicates acceptance of the General Guidelines for NASSH Presentations (found at https://conference.nassh.org/).
To be included on the program for NASSH 2025, presenters must be current NASSH members and registered conference participants, with all relevant fees and dues paid in full no later than May 1, 2025.
The NASSH Program Committee has sole discretion over all decisions related to the content and scheduling of the NASSH 2025 program.
For any enquires, please contact Russell Field (russell.field@umanitoba.ca).
Marion PHILIPPEmarion.philippe@univ-eiffel.fr